Paris Love
by Ritzy-authoress
Summary: Life in Paris couldn't be better...or could it?  One eventful meeting in a cafe is enough to bring up feelings in Ichigo and Rukia.  Do they have what it takes to folllow through though?  Will love or jealousy guide them?  Will the past haunt them?


**Hey, uh sorry. I posted this again and this time there aren't any mistakes in it! Sorry for putting wrong names in here. This was orginally another story and I converted it. It's all mine though. I didn't copy any ideas from other people. Just copied names.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or related characters.**

* * *

Red numbers changed to show 6:00 and a loud alarm rang throughout the apartment. Sloppily, a delicate porcelain-like hand reached out to shut it off. A groan was heard as the owner of the hand carefully got out of bed with another moan.

"Another day. Sigh, why do I bother? What to wear?" a tired Rukia Kuchiki asked herself as she scratched herself and stretched. She slowly pulled on her running gear, grabbed her ipod and walked out the front door of her apartment. On her way down to the lobby she tied her long, sleek black hair back into a ponytail. Her feet hit the pavement and she took off, running slowly along the cobbled streets. It was a beautiful day in Paris, France. Most days were beautiful come to think of it. Rukia started up her ipod and hummed along with the upbeat tune. She felt good today. Something was bound to happen.

* * *

Across the city a restless man was tossing restlessly in his bed. Red numbers changed once again and another loud alarm sounded. The man in question shot out of bed, slamming his hand down on the clock, almost breaking it.

"Shit man. Got that damn business meeting today. Oh well, Renji can watch over it for me until I get there. _If_ I get there." Ichigo laughed at his joke as he got out of bed, put on his gloves and headed down to the gym. He headed over to the vertical bench press and started off with 150 pounds. He'd gradually add more to that.

* * *

Time passed on. Rukia had almost finished her run around Paris. It was a 5 km jog she did every morning to keep in shape. Heavens know that if she didn't she'd be so overweight from all the croissants she indulged on it wouldn't even be funny. It only took about 45 minutes anyway. As she headed back to her apartment she thought about what exactly she would do that day.

Rukia had come to Paris as an exchange student in high school. She was supposed to go back to Japan but the feeling Paris left her with was too much t bear parting with, so she stayed. It wasn't hurting anyone and she was doing well. She was a fashion designer for Elle, the hottest, most prestigious, most expensive clothing brand in Paris at the moment. Rukia was very good at her job; she had brought great success to her company and had a top rank position. People genuinely liked her, which helped out a lot with business deals. She couldn't help it; she was naturally a nice person. All the better.

Upon reaching the apartment she quickly shed her clothes and jumped into her shower. Running was a tiring and sweaty job. You needed a shower. After her shower she would see to some breakfast.

* * *

Ichigo was having a field time showing off his muscles in the gym in front of the girls who stood in one corner giggling and laughing in French while looking at him. He did look sexy enough. There were slight sweat drops on the corners of his face and his orange hair was matted down. Through his tight shirt you could make out his 8 pack. His biceps and triceps were bulging beautifully out of his arms. He was a stunner but not a playboy. Ichigo liked his girls proper. Not any stuck-up sluts or hoe bags who only wanted money, fame, something to show off and a good lay. Ichigo would only settle for girls who were genuine, girls who weren't afraid to speak from their hearts and love unconditionally. That ruled out the girls in the corner.

The workout ended and Ichigo gave the girls a wink on his way out. They cooed like a bunch of pigeons and started wildly chatting amongst themselves. Which one had he looked at? Who was the wink aimed for? Silly French girls. Still, Ichigo chuckled. He loved the effect he had on girls and couldn't resist the urge to tease. He was still a guy at heart. Right now though, what mattered most was breakfast, in the form of coffee and croissant from that riverside café.

* * *

Rukia sang her way out of the apartment and down the street. She was headed now towards the cute little café by the riverside she had fallen in love with. The coffee was exquisite and the croissants were to die for. The crowd wasn't that bad either, the manager was a sweet old man and his wife could talk for hours. That brought back memories of home… No she must not think of home! How Rukia longed to be home when the thought came to her.

After not setting foot in Japan for 10 years it was hard to bear thinking about home. She was still in touch with her family. She could never live without them but visiting home was another story. Rukia stopped to look at her reflection in the nearby river. She wondered how Byakuya was doing, and how Momo and Toshiro's wedding was. She had received an invitation but couldn't leave work. Everyone was back home. Another sigh escaped her lips. She looked up and kept walking. The café loomed up before her and she smiled as the manager waved at her. He held up a finger signaling that she'd have her breakfast in a minute. She'd been here so many times now that everyone knew what she wanted every morning. It was a joyous feeling, having people know you that well.

Rukia sat down at one of the adorable tables outside and awaited her breakfast. She took out her Burberry bag and sorted through its contents until she found what she wanted. Her annual paycheck needed cashing and she had a pile of paperwork needing to be done that day. The sooner she got started the sooner she'd be finished meaning the sooner she'd be able to leave the office and head out the French gardens, her absolute favourite place in the world. Her coffee and croissant arrived with a smile from the manager and she generously tipped him with a 10 franc note. Then she leaned back in her chair to enjoy her breakfast.

* * *

Ichigo was running late. He'd have to rush it at the café.

"Shouldn't have spent so much time teasing those girls today!" he scolded himself as he hurried down the street to the café. Barging through the doorway the manager's wife looked up in alarm. He had disturbed the peace. Ichigo bowed slightly to show his apology and the manager nodded in return, forgiving him. Ichigo walked up to the counter and ordered then headed outside to find a table. There was a deserted table in the corner right beside the river and he was immediately attracted to it. Not sexually, he just felt an urge to sit there.

That's when he saw her. She was sitting in the next table over. She was gorgeous. Ichigo Kurosaki never called a girl gorgeous unless he meant it. He was not one that you would find gawking at some girl. Yet the way her black hair curled out at her neck and the bit of porcelain-like skin that was visible simply shone, why, it was absolutely, stunningly, beautiful. She was beautiful and all he had seen was the back of her head and a bit of her arm. She tossed her hair to the side and he almost sighed. Reaching up she scratched at the back of her neck and he saw a small ring adorning her right ring finger. Thank god, she wasn't married. His coffee and croissants came and his attention was diverted from the beauty.

* * *

Rukia looked up from her paper, her attention was disrupted. Someone was staring at her. She could feel the intense gaze on the back of her neck. She tried to shake it off but it stayed, getting stronger by the second. She was about to turn around but it went away. A waiter had come and she listened closely to the conversation behind her, trying to figure out who had been looking at her.

"Merci. Yes, thank-you. Umm one thing. Can you…" Rukia could hear no more. There was a whole lot of whispering going on behind her and she relaxed. There was a tap on her shoulder and the waiter was standing next to her with a piece of paper in his hand.

"This is for you mademoiselle." The French waiter said. His English was tough to make out through his French accent.

"Merci monsieur. Who is this from?" Rukia asked puzzled. Whoever it was had very nice handwriting.

"Why it's the monsieur behind you mademoiselle!" the waiter said in surprised. He had thought the monsieur and the mademoiselle had known each other. Guess not, oh well he wished them luck. He could see a couple forming there. He bowed and left leaving Rukia with the mysterious note.

She gingerly opened it and expected to see a telephone number or something among the lines of '_hey I know you! You're my ultimate idol!'_ Instead she found herself looking at a short, cute poem along with a short note at the bottom.

It read, _Dear girl,_

_I hardly know you yet you draw me in_

_I've seen only the back of you but it sets me on fire_

_You are more than the gardens_

_You are more than rain_

_You are beautiful_

_I'm sorry if I'm bothering you miss. I sat down and all I can look at is you. Your hair is beautiful, your skin shines and it's almost too much to bear. I'm sorry if I seem abrupt or if you felt me staring at you. Such beauty cannot be ignored though. Please turn around so I may see your face. If I'm being rude you can toss this note aside and I shall understand._

_Sincerely your secret admirer,_

_Ichigo_

It was such a romantic note. It came from a complete stranger but it felt as if Rukia had known this Ichigo for years. She turned around and smiled. The man sitting behind her was ever so handsome. His orange hair was blowing slightly in the warm summer breeze and his brown eyes were bright and now wide open staring straight at her. He wore a light blue checked skirt with another white shirt underneath. Atop his head perched a pair of black framed sunglasses. He was almost...no, he was sexy.

Ichigo likewise had the same reaction. This angel in front of him was more than he could ever imagine. She was hot, sexy, succulent, beautiful, pretty and wonderfully pleasing to look at it all at once. She had the curly hair of a goddess and paired with her gorgeous violet eyes and the black sunglasses sitting atop her head she was ever so nice. Her smile was like a light bulb on her face. It was so white and pretty. It had to be the prettiest smile he'd ever seen. Working in the fashion industry as he did, he'd seen many smiles. None were as good as that one. None. Her pearly white teeth glistened which just added to the fact she wasn't wearing any make-up yet her face glowed. The lavender sundress she wore was also beautiful and complimented her beautifully. She was amazing. No doubt about it. He'd never seen anyone like her before.

Rukia felt the same. All of her men had been dark and darker. Not like the perfectly tanned god sitting in front of her. It was safe to say they were both very attracted to each other.

"Tu es magnifique!" Ichigo choked out. Rukia blushed. She sort of knew she was pretty, after being constantly complimented and praised.

"Merci monsieur. You're too kind." She said softly. Her gaze shifted elsewhere until Ichigo called it back.

"Beautiful girl. I've graced you with my name yet you have not me yours." Ichigo said. Rukia blushed.

"Je m'apelle Rukia." She whispered. His voice was strong and sure. It was manly and Rukia liked it.

Ichigo nodded. Her voice was soft and gentle, like a running stream. So beautiful. It still amazed him, how such a wondrous creature was sitting in front of him, not taken? It was impossible! He thanked god she wasn't taken though. He wanted to be hers. In the same way she wanted to be his.

"Hey Rukia, why don't you come sit over here? Come on, look we're even eating the same thing." Ichigo asked sweetly. Rukia gave in to her feelings and quickly moved to sit across from him. Now he could see how dangerously low her sundress went, revealing creamy cleavage. Not that he minded. He was being aroused by this Japanese beauty. He saw her short creamy, toned legs with obvious muscles. Even through her black stiletto heels you could make out her perfectly shaped calves formed from running every morning.

"So Ichigo…who are you?" Rukia asked. She nearly melted at how his name came to her naturally. It rolled off her tongue perfectly and he noticed that. Now that she wasn't as shy she had her voice back and it was wonderful hearing it properly.

Ichigo chuckled.

"Good question. I'm Ichigo Kurosaki. I'm Japanese. 20 years old. Single. 6' 0. I work for the Il fashion company. I'm the chief designer. I moved here a couple of months ago as a request of my father's. So I could open up a link to his company here. Well, I never had the heart to leave and now I'm glad I didn't. Look at what I would've missed." He said soundly. Rukia blushed. No matter what he said she's always be happy to just hear his voice. "What about yourself? Who is this mysterious beauty who blesses me with her face?" Ichigo asked. He leaned back in his chair and watched the girl squirm under his gaze. Sure he was teasing but this time he meant what he said.

"I'm Kuchiki Rukia. I'm Japanese too! I'm 20, single, 5'2 I think, and I love Paris. I work for the Elle fashion company, also chief designer. I was an exchange student in high school. I was supposed to go back to Japan after a year but I fell in love with the city and so I stayed. All my family is back home though." Rukia looked up to see his reaction. His eyes were wide, showing the brown off.

"We're the same. This is amazing. It was meant to be." Ichigo gushed. He drank in her face, her eyes, ears, lips, and hair. Rukia looked out across the river to her building. Then it hit her. With a quick look at the silver watch she wore she gasped and got up in a hurry, grabbing her stuff she left without a goodbye leaving a half eaten croissant behind.

"Hey wait! Rukia wait! What happened? I'm sorry!" Ichigo yelled at her rapidly fading back. She didn't hear him. Why had she taken off so fast? Had he done something wrong? "To hell with it." Ichigo cursed as he took off after her. There was no way in hell he was loosing her this easily.

Unfortunately he had lost her. By the time he exited the café she was gone. All he could hope for now was that she'd be here tomorrow. He sighed and was about to leave when someone called him. It was the manager of the café.

"Monsieur. A young lady in a purple dress told me to give this to you." He said and handed Ichigo the note. In a fast scribble the note read, _Dear Ichigo. Thanks for the lovely breakfast. It was one of the best I've ever had. I hope to see you again. I had to leave. I would've been late for work! I'm ever so sorry. Here's my number. (899)-549-2117. _

_Love, Rukia_

"Score!" Ichigo yelled loudly. He hadn't lost her! She liked him! It was all too good to be true. He planned on phoning her that evening. He looked at his watch and realized he was going to be late too. Renji would kick his ass if he was late. Ichigo headed down the road towards the Il building. _'So she works for Elle eh?_ _That's nice. We're the same, Rukia and I. I see something coming out of this relationship. I can't and won't let her go.' _Ichigo thought. She was something special, something he'd never seen before, something he wasn't willing to let go of.

* * *

"Rukia! I thought you were going to be late!" a voice called from deep inside the extravagant office.

"Orihime? I'm sorry. I got caught up at breakfast. What did I miss?" Rukia asked tiredly while plunking herself and her bag down on the nearest chair.

She and Orihime shared this office, both being chief designers and all. Most of the main ideas came from this room itself. It was amazingly decorated with its cherry coloured wood, dark carpets and miniature fountain. It was very oriental which was perfect for Orihime and Rukia, both being Japanese.

"Girl I saw you at breakfast. You forget that the building is right across from the café. Who is he? He's hot." Orihime inquired while raising an eyebrow at Rukia's suddenly flushed face.

"I…He…We're…Orihime! His name is Ichigo. I guess he's kind of good looking. He's really sweet. I feel kinda bad though. I left without saying good-bye. I left him a note though. I hope he got it." Rukia kept talking to herself while Orihime yelled at her.

"You left him! That hottie! Rukia what is wrong with you? I know you're still upset about Renji and all but honestly! You must go out with the Ichigo guy! I only saw him from up here and he looked gorgeous! I can't even begin to imagine what he looked like in person. Rukia he's a catch, don't let him go. Trust me, I know these things." Orihime said seriously. Rukia laughed. Renji was old. He was still in Japan and there was no way in hell she was going back to him. That inconsiderate jerk could rot in hell for all she cared.

"This is coming from the girl who has the worst taste in food and dates a Quincy. I don't think I should take advice from you as much as I love you. But he is something, something I shouldn't let go of. He's special. You're right Orihime." Rukia asked softly while looking into the window. She looked down at the small café. She could almost see Ichigo and herself sitting in that corner table. That magical table. There was definitely something between them. It was too soon to fall in love though. Rukia sighed and turned to face Orihime's serious face.

"You really like him. Don't you? You just met him today, you do know that right?" she asked. Rukia nodded.

"I know but there's just something between us. An immediate attraction of sorts. We just clicked. He said so many sweet things to me too. Insisted on my beauty. Complimented everything I did and even wrote me a poem. It was magical. The best breakfast ever. He has my number. I guess I do like him. I hope he likes me."

"Rukia! How could he not like you? You're beautiful, you're nice and sweet and funny. If I was a guy I'd have proposed to you a long time ago!" Orihime assured her. Rukia gave her a weak smile. Then she sat down at her desk and pulled out the paperwork that needed to be done. Obviously nothing was finished over breakfast.

Orihime also quieted down and started measuring fabric for her latest design. The two of them worked for hours without rest or chatter. Each lost in their own worlds. Orihime was thinking about Uryu Ishida, her long-term boyfriend. How she wished he was here right now. The air was tense. Uryu would've lightened it up a bit. On second thought he would've made it worse. Rukia was still wondering if Ichigo had gotten her note. She had to see him again. She missed him even now.

* * *

Not too far away, a depressed, orange-haired boy fiddled with the note a certain woman had left for him. He'd memorized the number and even tried calling her a few times. Every time he got close though he'd shut off the phone and put the paper away. It always found its way back to the top of his desk though. He couldn't get over her; her beautiful smile was like a ghostly picture in his mind. _'Rukia what have you done to me?'_ Ichigo thought and sighed.

"Hey buddy! Why so glum? Loose another girl?" Keigo Asano asked coming into Ichigo's office. Ichigo looked up and sighed again.

"Keigo we're not all like you. Some of us meet girls who then run off and leave us without saying goodbye but leave a note with an apology and their number on it with the manager. Some of us can't get beautiful women out of our minds, not matter how hard we try. Some of us need a certain someone to phone them." Ichigo said. He knew that Rukia didn't have his number but said it anyway.

"Oh boy. That sounds bad. Sounds like you need a good lay actually but I won't say more." Keigo said and turned around to leave. Ichigo shook his head to clear it and went back to designing his newest suit. Trust Keigo to not be supportive. He had tons of girls. Nothing to worry about. Lucky guy.

* * *

Around lunchtime the girls stopped and headed out for a salad at a nearby restaurant. They had returned to their normal selves and were laughing and joking. An old man crossing the street chuckled at them.

"Youth." He muttered.

"He said this and then he's like you're so pretty. Please marry me! I was like you've got to be kidding me! I'm not marrying French trash. I mean come on! He was a hobo for god's sake!" Orihime cried as they entered the restaurant. Rukia laughed and headed over to the maitre d', asking for their seats. He grabbed a couple of menus and motioned for them to follow him to their seats.

"Merci monsieur." Rukia thanked the waiter for the bread rolls he instantly brought and settled down across from Orihime. She and Orihime quickly spread their napkins across their laps before starting up their conversation again.

"Where did you get that dress? It's beautiful Rukia! C'est très belle! J'aime beaucoup!" Orihime gushed. Rukia laughed.

"I love how we can speak in French so fluently. It feels good. I got it from Belles Robes in downtown Paris. Had to take a cab to get their too. I should take you sometime. The store is wonderful and has the best clothes. I love the scenery downtown even more though. It's amazing." Rukia giggled at Orihime's expression.

"You're the only one I know who will actually appreciate something like scenery Rukia. You should be happy." Rukia laughed even harder. A waiter approached them and asked for their orders.

"I'll have a Caesar salad and a coke please. Orihime?" Rukia asked politely.

"I'll have an order of escargot, a coke and fries please. Merci!" Orihime cheered and gave the waiter her menu. He left and the girls resumed their conversation, now in hurried whispers.

"I heard…"

"Really?" Then the food came. Rukia quietly dug into her salad while Orihime noisily ripped open her snail and spread butter on it.

"Orihime! You're going in for the fats today! Fries and butter!" Rukia exclaimed. She made a face at Orihime's choice of food. It didn't look appealing at all.

"Shh! Rukia don't worry about it. It's all healthy in the long run and plus it tastes good. Why wouldn't I eat it?" Orihime protested proudly. Rukia raised an eyebrow but let it go. Uryu must've said something to her again.

She wasn't particularly bad looking though. Her long red hair was up in a bun and with her black V-necked dress and her black sandals she was really pretty. Uryu knew how lucky he was.

Both girls were quietly eating now. Rukia looked up when Orihime spoke but her gaze immediately diverted from Orihime's angular face onto the street outside. Her breath hitched in her throat when she saw who was outside looking in. They seemed to recognize her too.

**Right so, if there are any more problems let me know. I'll be quick to fix them. Review please. : )**

**Ritzy-authoress**


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